Mohammad Kohandel, Sivbal Sivaloganathan and colleagues have discovered that applied mathematics can be used as a tool in predicting the genesis and evolution of different types of cancers.
The study uses evolutionary dynamics, a form of mathematical analysis, to look at how mutations evolve in stem and non-stem cells in colorectal and intestinal cancers.
Through the study, Sivaloganathan and Kohandel discovered that when cancer stem cells divide and replicate, the new cells created can be substantially different from the original cell, which can have a large impact on the progression of cancer in both positive and negative ways. Additionally, they discovered that by using math, can allow for better prediction of cancer cell behaviour. It may also help in preventing cancer cells from emerging in the first place, as well as aid the development of more intense and effective treatments.
Sivaloganathan and Kohandel’s study was also recently published in the journal PLoS ONE.